The present invention relates to a piston drive mechanism and more particularly to a self-aligning piston drive mechanism for use with a conventional piston head that allows relative movement between the piston head and the connecting rod.
In conventional internal combustion engines, a piston head moves in the cylinder in a reciprocating fashion. A gas air mixture is ignited within the piston cylinder, applying a force to the piston head, which then transmits this force to a wrist pin and thereby to a connecting rod. The connecting rod is rigidly connected to the wrist pin and the wrist pin is rigidly connected to the piston head. Because of these rigid connections, it is very difficult for the piston head to move in a true reciprocating fashion. If the piston head can not move in a true reciprocating fashion then inefficiencies such as uneven wear on the piston head or piston cylinder, incomplete combustion of the fuel, and higher expelled pollutants will result.
To overcome this problem it is essential to arrange the connecting rod exactly parallel to the axis of the crankshaft. This precise arrangement was technically very difficult and led to the development of self-aligning piston drive mechanisms, most notably U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,669,285 and 5,442,993. U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,285 discloses using a spherical joint with a spherical piston head to prevent canting or tilting of the piston head within the cylinder. The spherical joint is formed by a ball at the end of the connecting rod and is supported by a corresponding spherical socket in the piston head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,993 teaches using a spherical bearing to provide for a self-aligning piston head.
The present invention is directed to a piston drive mechanism for use in an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to a self-aligning piston drive mechanism. The mechanism can be used with a conventional piston head and allows for relative movement between the piston head and the connecting rod to permit the piston head to self-align inside the cylinder wall. In the preferred form, the mechanism includes an interior ball having a wrist pin that extends out from opposite sides of the interior ball. An intermediate housing movably contains the interior ball, and allows the wrist pin to extend beyond opposite sides of the intermediate housing. The intermediate housing allows the wrist pin and the interior ball freedom to move independently with respect to the intermediate housing up, down or rotationally. A connecting rod is fixedly connected to the intermediate housing. An exterior housing movably contains the intermediate housing. The exterior housing allows the wrist pin to extend beyond opposite sides of the exterior housing, and thus the exterior housing moves together with the interior ball up or down, but will not rotate with the interior ball. Additionally, the exterior housing allows the intermediate housing freedom to move independently with respect to the exterior housing and the interior ball side to side. An adapter may be fixedly connected to the exterior housing to allow the piston drive mechanism to be used with conventional piston heads. The piston head is rotatably connected to either the wrist pin or the adapter.
An alternate embodiment of this invention includes an interior ball having a wrist pin that extends from opposite sides of the interior ball. An exterior housing movably contains the interior ball and allows for the wrist pin to extend beyond opposite sides of the exterior housing. The exterior housing allows the interior ball to move independently with respect to the exterior housing in either a reciprocating or rotational movement. A connecting rod is fixedly connected to the exterior housing and a piston head is rotatably connected to either the wrist pin or an adapter. The potential benefits derived from both of these preferred embodiments are reduced scuffing, reduced wear and tear on the piston head and the cylinder, reduced oil consumption and lower pollutant emissions.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.